


Escape

by Kayim



Category: Leverage, The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 07:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayim/pseuds/Kayim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Eliot just needs to escape from the rest of his team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Escape

The asphalt was hard under his feet, not giving him any leeway as he ran. Eliot wasn't a runner as a general rule of thumb, but he'd been cooped up for days; he hated the longer cons that meant he was in a hotel and away from his apartment. Without any of his usual relaxation methods around – no kitchen, no guitar and no weights bench – he turned to the only other escape he had. 

After twenty minutes he could feel his heart beating faster, although his breath was still steady. Despite not running regularly, he was still able to keep a solid pace, and he felt confident that he could complete the five mile route he had planned out. 

He'd had to rely on a roadmap to find an acceptable route, despite numerous offers from Hardison to download him a GPS app to his phone that could measure everything from his heart-rate to the incline of the road to the weather. None of which he wanted when he ran. Instead, he accidentally-on-purpose left his cell on the bedside table in the hotel room. He was quite looking forward to hearing about Hardison's indignation when he got back.

When he'd left the hotel, Parker had still been curled up on the floor where she'd been sleeping all week and Hardison had only switched off his laptop two hours earlier. The hacker was snoring contentedly in the other bed and hadn't even moved when Eliot switched on the small bedside lamp so he could dress. The streetlights were still on, although the sun was already starting to rise, and Eliot could measure his breathing by the small puffs in the air. There were few people on the streets, and in the last ten minutes only one car had passed him by. 

As he crossed the intersection, he heard a payphone ringing up ahead of him. He glanced around as he ran, but didn't stop to answer it. It rang off just after he passed it by and he thought nothing more of it.

Until it happened again further down the road.

And again a half mile later.

He snatched up the fourth ringing phone and growled. "Who the hell is this?"

"Is that any way to treat your favorite hacker?"

"Second favorite," Eliot replied automatically, the frown disappearing from his face as he spoke. He shook his head, smiling and glancing up at the sky where he was pretty sure an illegally compromised satellite was hovering. "Jensen, what do you think you're doing?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I was worried."

Eliot laughed. Jensen was probably the only person in the world who would hack a satellite and chase someone down the street via public payphone, just to check on them. 

"Don't laugh at me, El. You know I'm sensitive."

"You and your team are probably in the middle of an international war zone as we speak. You're more than likely surrounded by enough weapons to arm a small country. You have at least three different government agencies hunting you down at any given time. And you're telling me you were worried about me?"

"You didn't answer your cell when I called this morning."

He heard the concern in Jensen's voice and felt an ache in his chest. He understood the worry only too well. It was one thing to have the people you care about be in constant danger when you're close enough to keep an eye on them. But when they're on a different continent, with no real communication possible, it was a whole different ball game. And when you're expecting someone to answer their cellphone and they don't, you can't help but imagine the worst.

"I'm sorry, babe," he said, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the plastic walls of the phonebooth. "Hardison was driving me crazy and I just..." 

His voice trailed off and he realized that he didn't have a decent excuse. He knew Jensen would be calling him, and he should have kept his phone with him. No matter what.

"It's okay," Jensen replied. "I get it. I just wanted to talk to you, was all."

He sounded so damn young sometimes, and Eliot hated himself for whatever worry he'd put Jensen through. He made a mental note to carry his phone with him next time – every time – no matter how irritating Hardison was getting. 

He forced a smile, wondering if Jensen could get a close enough image with the satellite to see it. 

"I'm here now," he said, watching as the streetlights started to flicker out, the sun lighting its own path. 

Jensen started to talk, telling him as much about their current mission as he could do without jeopardizing security. But Eliot barely listened to the words, instead concentrating on the sound of Jensen's voice, letting it wash over him. He felt calmer than he had done in days, and found himself smiling as he listened to stories that he could only hope were exaggerated. 

In the middle of Jensen's colorful description of Clay's latest one-night stand, Eliot realized that he didn't need running or cooking or music to escape from everyone else. 

He just needed Jensen.


End file.
